Elijah wagoner



' @auch gisten atrnt @ffirt ELIJAH moonen.' or WESTMINSTER.,MARYLAND, Asslenon To HIMSLF AND o. W. MATHEWs Lctterslfatent No. 74,957, dated February 25, 1868;

IMPROVEMENT IN RICE-PLANTERVS.

TO LL WHOM IT MAY GONCER:

Y `Be it known that I, Ersten Wnoonnn, of Westminster, irr the county of Carroll, and Stott. of Maryland, have invented o. new und improved Rice-Plnnter; and l.' do hereby declare the following to bea. full, vrclearVan'id exact 'description of the same, suicient to enable those skilled in theart to which my invention appertnins to make use of it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in f which` Figure 1 is a longitudinnl vertical section,

Figure 2 is n plan, 4and Y.

Figure v3 is n horizonttl section of one ot' the seed-conductors, showing the ploughend covering-attachment.

This, invention is n machine: for planting and covering rice, by which all the hperations required in the ,planting of that article are es carefully and ue'curately performed as ii' done by hond, and by which one man is enabled to perform the work hitherto requiring the services of dozens of laboressf Grcnt diiliculty has hitherto been experienced in endeuvoring toplant rice by a machine, arisingfroni the nature ofthe ground required for such purpose, and the care and accuracy with which the seed must be covered very lightly with fine enrth. The plnnting is done upon a low, vtint soil, which is most of the veur snbmergedknhd which is cut up by deep trenches required to drain oii` the water preparatory tothe plaint-ing and cultivating. The machine'inust be enabled to plant close up to the edge of such trenches, or so much groundwill be wasted as to lnnke hand-labor thc more economical of the two lnethods of planting.

' '[hennnchino which-I h avo inventcdisintended to obviate nll'thcse'diiliculties, and to enable one mam with n. single draught-horse or mule to plnnt as nueh ground as frorn twenty to forty uien can do by hund, performing nll the woi'h thoroughly, and oconomizing the ground to the utmost extent. l

I In the drnwingsii A represent the ironic, B B the thills, C the seed-box, and D the wheels ci', my `machine- These parts are nll constructed :is 'in ordinnry-seedplnnters, except that the wheels are closer together, the ends of' the` seed-box jutting for enough beyond them to allow one plough on euch side of the machine to oper-- nte outside of the wheels, in'or'der that the machine may work close up to the edges of the drains above men-- tioned. E E nro the ploughs, the general shape of which resembles n boot, thefoot being in Forlnflike a. end-` iron, und the seed falling through the leg E, and dropping upon an incline, e, atthe heel, which seatters it the whole width ot' the plough. Small flanges or gunrds, c e', at the sides of the incline, keep the dirt fr'om falling; haelt-upon the furrow until after the lseed is properly distributed. The under side of the plough is-son'iewhnty concave, resembling the bottom of' n horses hoof', for the purpose o? leaving a slight space between the incline and lthe level botto'grof the furrow, by which the seed will he hotter scattered, ond the ,fine dirt willat the sometime he better separated from the conrse. The upper end of the plough is hinged :to the rear endof an crm, F, which isiitseli` hingedl to the forward benin of thefrnuie, so :is to l-et the ploughj r-ise and full with the inequolities of' the'ground. Below thehing'e by whichV the plough is nttnchedto the arm F is a rod, G, hinged :to the plough, and pnssing up through the nrln Fyterminnting in n screw and nut, the -ltter of which rests upon the nrni. By adjusting this nut, the inclination oi' the plough can be regulated and adjusted zit pleasure,4 Directly behind the plough runs n coverer, H, connected to the rear side ot' the plough by a. double `joint, lz, in' order thnt it muy rise und full without losing its horizontnlity. The cove-rer is cost in a. solid piece, oteonsith eroble weight, o little wider thou the plough, und hoving'a concave front edge in order` to gather thexiirt from th sides rof the furrow and curry it to the middle, und n corrugated or toothed under surface, in order to pnl- -verizel :ind equalize Vtl'iedepth of thedirt left upon the seed. The conductors, which convey the seed from the Y |`box C to the ploughs l?. E, are composed ot' funnel-form sections, I I L'the upper or larger end o't one section enclosing the lower or smziller end of the one'above it', and the scctionsbeing yattached together by a. strip of 41eniher, z'. By this means lthey will accommodntc themselves to the' rising and falling oftlie ploughs Each Y plough is connected by achoin, J, to nn arm, 7c, projecting `forward frein zt roller, K, which extends across the 'lwl Width oi the machine behind `the sccd-box, end isioperated by a. lever, k', in order-,that all thploughs' nmy be raised nt once when necessary. I 'l l The agitator of the seed-box is operated by a shaft, L, which receives. its motion from a spur-wheel, M, connected with one ofthe draught-wheel axles through the medium of an idle-wheel, N.v .The latter wheel runs on a. dead-spindle, n, fixed to a slide, O, in such a manner that, when the slide is retracted, the idler and wheel M are ungeared, but when thrown forward, they are in gear. The slide O is provided with a notch, o, through which the roller K passes, and the latter has a pin or cam, m, upon itat that point, which slides the piece O forward, and brings the wheels M and N into gear when the ploughs are in working position, and slides the piece O back, throwing said wheels out of gear when the ploughs are raised by'means ofthe roller, as' in going to and 'from'the field, passing over obstacles, Snc., where it is necessary that the seed' should not be dropped from the box? From the ends of the roller hang loose rods, P P, to the lower extremity of which is attached a weight, R, which drags upon the ground behind the machine, and marks the width that has been planted. A

` hook is provided for confining 'the lever when tlie ploughs are raised.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent', is--Il y 1. The ploughs E E, when Vconstructed in the form described, and provided with the incline e and kguards e e', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Connecting the coverer to the plough by a double joint, h, as and for the purpose described.

2' ".h'e coverer H, when constructed in the form described, and provided with the c oncaife-forvrard edge, and a corrugated under surface, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The rod G, passing from the plough through the arm F, and provided lwith n. screw and nut, by' which inclination of the plough can be adjusted, substantiallyas specified. l

5. Constructing the seed-conductors of the funnel-form sections I I I, connected by straps it', substanf tiallly as and for the purpose specified. A

6. The combination of the idler N, slide O, and roller K, substantially as and for the purposeindicated.

7. 4The markers R R, when attached to the machine, and operating substantially as and-for the purpose-'sl set forth.

8. The arrangement herein described of a hoe or trencher outside of each of the supporting-wheels.

v To the above specification of niy improvement, I have signed my hand, this fourteenthday of January, 1868,

v ELIJAH WA GONER,

Witnesses:

CEAS. A. PETTIT, SoLoN C. KnMoN.

, y o I 

